The invention relates to a passenger car body structure in which a transverse wall limiting the passenger compartment extends to fender walls which are provided with shock absorber mounts and longitudinal supports, and a bottom plate is attached directly to the transverse wall and indirectly to the fender walls.
In a known body structure (German Patent Application--Offenlegungsschrift 2,450,763) of this kind, shock absorber mounts are simply and indirectly connected to a transverse wall of the car body structure by the fender walls, so that loads developing while the vehicle is in motion can result in undesirable torsions and bends in the structure. Besides, the longitudinal supports and the bottom plate of the body structure are assembled at the bottom of the transverse wall in such a manner that the requirements for a rigid passenger compartment are difficult to meet with this structure.
A principal object of the invention is, therefore, to arrange the body structure, in the vicinity of a transverse end wall limiting the passenger compartment, so as to provide for a rigid passenger compartment, and also to absorb loads so that no troublesome torsional or bending stresses develop.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, this object is achieved through the provision of a transverse end wall of the passenger compartment with a parallel reinforcing element at its top which connects the transverse wall to opposite shock absorber mounts and to upper longitudinal supports, as well as a frame system of hollow elements at its bottom, the frame system being formed by portions of the transverse end wall, longitudinal bearers and a floor plate, as well as reinforcing members.
The principal advantages obtained from the invention are that the shock absorber mounts, the reinforcing element, which connects the upper longitudinal supports, and the frame system at the bottom of the transverse wall provide a rigid passenger compartment and substantially prevent undesirable torsional and bending stresses, especially near the shock absorber mounts and in a portion of the structure located further forward and possibly used to accommodate wheel steering members. Shock absorber mount extensions in the from of reinforcements, the reinforcing shape of the transverse wall, and the hollow members located at the bottom of the body structure contribute to this purpose.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.